Mobile display device



Feb. 1, 1966 J. ANTHONY MOBILE DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Aug. 21. 1964 FIG. 2

JOSEPH ANT HON Y ZMMLM Age-ht United States PatentO "3,231,995; MOBILE DISPLAY-DEVICE c P Joseph Anthony, 577; Kingswood Place, omfoat o, ana a Filed Aug. 21, 1964,-ser.1y .391,20s

9 Claimsgf (CL- 40-128) "The invention relates" to display devices particularly of V the" aniinatedor' rrihrfirigtygie as used for example in advertising at the point of sale. V

"'The' display device elf-particular "interest tothe invent'ion embodies apair of display members such assigns "or the lik'ejwhioh are apparently coupled together "and .yet 'move in diit erentdi'rections.'1 Moreover, the invention'also contemplates that thesai'ddisplay members and the structure motivating them'are all "combined ina single self-contained unitwhich'is seemingly unconnected to any source of power. x V

Similar devices e in body-ing one 'oi'"'more display elements moving inthesarnedirection"arebelieved to be well' known andjth'e invention "difiersfrom the priorart a primarily in'that it isprovided with at least memhers moving in different directions.

The invention'seeks to'ftake' advantage of the phenome non of reaction which is"inherent in every prime mover.

For example; a oonventionalseleotrie'motor maY'comprise a fra memountingffieldfcoils and supporting an 'armature] whichrotates with-imthe em b raeeoi" said'jfield coils. Usually, the frame is stationary and it is onlythe armaturewhich-"rotates. However, it will'be' quite apparent that if the" frame werezitself also rotatably supported, it would, upon "energisatiom move ina directio-n opposite to that or the armaturefa'nd in reaction thereto. Accordingly, it is a main object oftheinve'ntion to provide a'display devicehaving at least t'womobile dis- "play members whichcan' be set inmo-tion diiferent directions by the respective rea ctiorrelements of a motor, and it is a related object to provide such-a display device wherein said motor is self-contained.

It is a further "object of the invention to provide a display device as a foresaidsupported by a suspension or a standard for operation as aforesaid.

It'is 'a-furtheriobjectorf theinvention tojzrovide a display device as aforesaid herein-saiddisplay merndisplay device as a-fores aid" wh'erein "said mobile display display device a s*a=fdresaid wherein onof'saiddisplay member-s pe forme both rdtaryand or'bital movements. It is a still" further object of the" invention t'o provide a display device wherein 'sa-id motor" is electrically operable and its sourceoi powerds assemlhledtherewith to ';"provide a seli contain'ed and selzfienergisable motor assenrbly.

The aboveandw other objects are achieved in accordance with'the invention by theprovisionina display device of pair of reaction elements energisable townrove in different d-irections,"=saidreaction elements being included in a self-contained, sel-f-energisalble motorassembly. Mobile tdispl-ay' members are respectively connected to 'said'reaetion elements and; mounting meansds provided enabling one of said reaction elementsto move'in relation toxanexternalusupporta while "itself supporting the otherreaction element formovement relative thereto so 3,231,995 I h iPatent ed 1, 1.?66

that whenfsaid reaction'elements em-engaerseytnta their respective "display mem bers to"-inbve' in. opposite "directions.

Preferably "the reaction elements 'gene rate'torque which eausesrotation'ofithe display members" and a swivl or v other pivot is interposed between one' ofuthe reaction'elements and an external support therefor.

The invent-ion willhow bedescribed by way ertnue it ation with reference to *the accompanying i drawings wherein'liike reference letters and numer als "denote"- like parts and wherein: p l

FIG. 1 is .a perspectiveview of a display device inac- 'oordance witli the invention;

\ detaiL-and for. thc sake of simplicity.

FIG. 2 is a'"schematic representation" of a motor assembly as contemplated bythe invention;

; FIG. 3 is 'a section Onthe line IIIIII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentar top plan "View of andtherfdrm of display device in: accord-ancewith the invention;

FIG. 5 is .a perspeetivevievv ofthe deyi ofFIG. 4

partly broken away to reveal otherwise hidden" internal display device D in accordance with the invention is shown in'FIG. 1. p I

The power unit for the device D' is almotorM, a schematic representation of whichonan enlarged scale is shown in FIG. 2. The motor M comprises reaction elements 2' and 4 which are respectively equivalent" to an armature and a field as'previously discussed.

In the present specific embodiment the reaetion element-4 includes the; frameof' the motor M carrying the usual field coils and-othermotor parts in relation to'whioh the armature rotates and tic-r simplicity all-said parts will i be cornpendiously' .designated herein 'by-theterm .frame.""Although-' the terms armature and frame "aroused herein to denote the reaction elements 2 and 4 it should be understood'thatsuch use is-exem'pl ary' and for"convenience only'in referring tdTsaid-reaetion elements andshould'not'be construed or deemedto exclude other comparable devices.

Following conventiona'hpractice the armature 2'-'and frame-. 4 are coupled together for relative "rotational-movement but 'are restrainedfagainst relative axialmovement,

and in this sense said reaction elements, may be described as beingrnutually supportable since when "one is supl ported'extrnally it-in its turn supports the'other. Obvi- -ously ifwhen the motor M isenerg'ised one of the "reaction elements 2-4- is'res'trained against rotation the other will rotate relativethereto- In accordance with the invention; however, the motor M is carried'by an external support in such a way 'that the armature 2 andfra'me 4 arecapable of simultaneous rotation in op'posite directions" r'elativeto each other and tosaid external supportand "thi'smay lie-achieved; for

example, byconnecting"one of said reaction elements 2-4 to said externalsupport through a swivel or other pivotal connection whereby it is free tom'ove rotatahly relative to said external support while supporting the-othe r' re'actionelement' for rotationrelat ive thereto.

- The armature z is co'nn'eet'ed to aeisplay 'member 6 and the frame '4 is connected-to fadisplaymember 8 s0 Y that when-thernot'or'M' is ener'gised'as aforesaid" the torquesdeveloped'by the-elementsi 'and 4 in reaction to each other are respectively transmitted to said display members causing-them to rotate inoppbsitedirections as suggested by the arrows in FIG. 1.

The displaymembers 6"and 8 may be"'irit'he.-"formof signs and it will be' und'erstoodthat in this casethememhers G and 8will carry advertisingmatte'r' s'u'ch'as 10on their outer faces. *Sincein accordance with the invention eachside of each signisat sometimevisible to anonlooker in any angular position relative to the display '3 L device D each of the signs 6 and 8 may advantageously carry difierent advertising matter On its respective sides.

A most important characteristic, however, of the device D lies in its enhanced attention catching capacity arising from the fact that the signs 6 and 8 rotate in opposite directions and the impact of the display may, of course, be heightened by concealing the motor M, inside one of the signs for instance, whereby the signs would appear to revolve in opposite directions of their own volition.

Obviously signs such as 6 and 8 illustrated in FIG. 1 are-examples only of display members to which the invention may be applied and many other types of display members suitable for use with the apparatus of the invention will suggest themselves to a person skilled in the display art.

Turning now to a more detailed consideration of the structure illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 it will be seen that the whole device D is intended to be suspended from an elevated point by means of a strand 12 looped at 12a for engagement with a hook or the like (not shown). The strand 12, which may be of flexible cord, carries at its lower end a conventional barrel swivel 14 which in turn is connected to a hanger 16 embedded in and projecting above the display member 6.

The hanger 16, which may be either flexible or rigid, also projects below the display member 6 where it may be looped for engagement with a hook 18 carried by the motor M at its upper end.

The motor M also carries at its lower end a flange 20 with which a hanger 22 embedded in the display member 8 is engaged, the hanger 22 being similar to the hanger 16 although in this case it does not project below the display member.

The hook 18 is mounted on the armature 2 of the motor M and may form an extension of the armature shaft 2a, while the flange 20 is secured to the frame 4.

It will be clear that the display member 6 and the armature 2 are enabled to rotate independently of the strand 12 and the structure to which the loop 12a is attached by means of the swivel 14.

The motor M may be powered by a dry cell battery 24, a switch 25 being incorporated in the circuit linking it to the motor. It is contemplated that the battery 24 be either enclosed within the frame 4 or attached to the outside thereof whereby the motor M and battery 24 together constitute a self-contained, self-energisable motor assembly. 1

The hangers 16 and 22 are advantageously flexible whereby the initial torques generated by the reaction elements 2-4 upon energisation of the motor M are absorbed in twisting said hangers rather than transmitted directly to the display members 6-8 which, being of relatively great area, have considerable inertia owing to air resistance. In this way the twisting of the hangers 16 and 22 provides increased torque to overcome the inertia of the display members 6-8 and a motor M of correspondingly lower output may be employed, the torque required to keep the display members in motion being relatively small. This well-known device for augmenting the torque of lowoutput motors does not, of course, form a part of the presentinventive idea.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is comparatively simple in that the display members 6-8 rotate about aligned axes. However, to produce an alternative visual effect the members 6-8 may be arranged to move cyclically about different centres. They may, for instance, rotate about parallel, offset axes as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1. It will be understood that in this case the member 8 describes not only rotary movement about its own axis but also an orbital movement about the rotational axis of the member 6. It will also be appreciated that the display members 6-8 do not necessarily rotate at the same speeds as each other, said speeds being governed by such factors as the ratio of the display members respective areas.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 which show a display device D supportable on a standard S.

The device D includes display members 6 and 8 and a motor M. As shown in FIG. 5 the display member 6 is of a hollow, box-like construction and includes upper and lower walls 26 and 28 respectively. The lower wall 28 has a bushed aperture 30 providing a bearing for a rod-like portion 32 of the standard S, the upper end of said standard portion 32 being engaged in a bearing 34 mounted on the upper wall 26 whereby the display member 6 is rotatably mounted on the standard S. The bearing 34 is shown in section on an enlarged scale in FIG. 3.

The motor M may be basically similar to the motor M and includes a flange 20 by which its frame 4 is attached to the lower wall 28 inside the display member 6. The armature shaft 2a of the motor M extends through a bushed aperture 38 in the upper wall 26 and outside the display member 6' is connected to the display member 8 which may comprise a pair of spheres yoked by rigid rods as shown in FIG. 4.

A dry cell battery 24' is shown attached externally to the motor M and it will be noted that in this embodiment the motor assembly is normally concealed within the display member 6 thus heightening the mysterious appearance of the display.

In the FIG. 5 embodiment, as in the broken line representation of FIG. 1, the display members 6'8 rotate about parallel, oflset axes in opposite directions when the motor M is energised, and the display member 8, in addition to rotary movement about its own axis, executes an orbital movement about the rotational axis of the member 6, said rotational and orbital paths of the member 8 being indicated respectively in broken and chain dotted lines in FIG. 4 wherein the proportions of some of the parts of the device D' have been distorted somewhat for the sake of clear presentation.

In summary the invention may be said to reside in the provision of a self-contained, self-energisable motor assembly including a pair of reaction elements mounted for free movement in different directions in reaction to each other when energised, said reaction elements being connected to mobile display members whereby said display members are rendered co-movable with said reaction elements in said dilferent directions.

Whereas two preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein solely for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that many modifications may be made in the specific structures detailed herein without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims now following.

What I claim is:

1. A display device comprising:

a pair of mobile display members interconnected for simultaneous movement relative to each other upon a fixed support;

a self-contained, self-energisable motor assembly;

a pair of reaction elements included in said motor assembly each said reaction element being movable simultaneously with and relative to the other and in a direction opposite thereto when the motor assembly is energised, said mobile display members being respectively connected to said reaction elements for movement therewith in said opposite directions, and

means for mounting said mobile display members and motor assembly on said fixed support permitting said display members to be moved simultaneously relative thereto and to each other by said reaction elements.

2. A display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said reaction elements rotate relative to each other when energised;

the rotation of each said element being transmitted to the display member connected thereto to simultaneeously rotate said display member in a direct-ion opposite to that in which the other display member is being rotated by the other element.

3. A display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said mounting means includes means for suspending said display members and said motor assembly to swivel upon said fixed support.

4. A display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said mounting means includes means for pivotally mounting said display members and said motor assembly on a standard.

5. A mobile display device as claimed in claim 1 wheresaid mounting means includes a swivel interposed between said support and said motor assembly permitting both said reaction elements to rotate relative to said fixed support.

6. A display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said motor assembly includes an electric motor and a battery supplying power thereto, and

said reaction elements comprise the armature and the frame of said electric motor.

7. A display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said mobile display members are rotatable by said reaction elements about aligned axes.

8. A display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said mobile display members are respectively rotatable by said reaction elements about parallel, mutually ofifset axes.

9. A display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said mobile display members are respectively rotatable by said reaction elements about parallel, mutually offset axes;

one of said display members being also capable of simultaneous orbital movement around the axis of said other display member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,913,150 6/1933 Atwater 33 2,079,303 5/1937 Pinner 4033 2,345,163 3/ 1944 Vollrath 74660 X 2,808,669 10/1957 Look 4033 3,030,718 4/1962 Kirkman 40128 3,031,784 5/1962 Stein 40128 3,144,133 8/1964 Poulos 4033 X EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, SHELDON M. BENDER,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. A DISPLAY DEVICE COMPRISING: A PAIR OF MOBILE DISPLAY MEMBERS INTERCONNECTED FOR SIMULTANEOUS MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER UPON A FIXED SUPPORT; A SELF-CONTAINED, SELF-ENERGISABLE MOTOR ASSEMBLY; A PAIR OF REACTION ELEMENTS INCLUDED IN SAID MOTOR ASSEMBLY EACH SAID REACTION ELEMENT BEING MOVABLE SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH AND RELATIVE TO THE OTHER AND IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE THERETO WHEN THE MOTOR ASSEMBLY IS ENERGIZED, SAID MOBILE DISPLAY MEMBERS BEING RESPECTIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID REACTION ELEMENTS FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID MOBILE DISPLAY MEMBERS AND MOTOR ASSEMBLY ON SAID FIXED SUPPORT PERMITTING SAID DISPLAY MEMBERS TO BE MOVED SIMULTANEOUSLY RELATIVE THERETO AND TO EACH BY SAID REACTION ELEMENTS. 